NYC

New York city this week was fun, though exhausting all around. Tons of walking (and carrying heavy kids) for me, eight interviews in three days for Wayne, and a very busy city full of stimuli for all the senses for the girls. I'm glad we went, and it is good to be home today.

Monday and Tuesday were full of trip preparations and getting the house in order. Wayne also took down one of his art shows. Aderyn took the chance to decide to become a one nap kid. A rough transition all around, but frankly it meant we got to do more things in NYC, so not bad timing. Aderyn is also done with bottles. Another transition, though not so rough because she eats tons of food all day long.

Wednesday we took off for the train station and our big adventure. The girls loved the train. So did we. For this particular commute, it makes a lot more sense to us than flying or driving, and while more expensive than a bus, it meant Aderyn could roam the aisles and climb on empty seats. When we got to New York, Wayne raced off to an interview while the girls and I took the time to visit FAO Schwarz (the toy store with the big piano). We all met up again for dinner with friends before bedtime. After walking around the city, I was convinced Aderyn loved having so much to see. She kept pointing at things and "talking" and gasping and pointing. Listening to a one-year old gasp is hilarious, by the way.

We were fine with the suite we stayed in. It was converted from an apartment building, I think, so the closets were spacious. Big enough to put a crib in. Enough said. [I only saw one cockroach roaming the halls and we have yet to see how bad the bed bug situation was. New York is such a sanitary city! -Wayne]

Thursday took us to the Sony Wonder technology lab. Aderyn loved pushing buttons, especially if they made noise or turned on lights. Paela had a good time using the computer at each station, using the mouse like a pro. We sent Wayne back to his conference while Aderyn caught a nap, and then the girls and I wandered Central Park together. It was cold, but not as cold as Boston. The buildings block some of the wind. And the girls both loved pointing out the horses and carriages that passed us. The ice skating was fun to watch too.

Wayne was at the conference pretty much all day on Friday. But when the girls and I got to the subway station that morning, Paela literally jumped up and down, she was so excited to see the trains go past. She loves the trains! Thank goodness, I say. We had our fair share of trains to catch, after all. We visited the Natural History museum, where Paela loved "the fishies" and Aderyn loved pointing at all the animals. After another nap at the hotel, we went over to the Children's Museum of Manhattan. It was a great place to visit! Aderyn was old enough to get some of the things (buttons to push that made noise! characters she knew!) and Paela really wanted to interact with most of the exhibits. Both of them loved the Dora and Diego exhibit. Paela slid down a (short) fireman's pole. They both found slides and tunnels and music makers. It was great.

And Saturday...well I was disappointed that things opened so late and that our checkout time meant we could only fit in a very short morning adventure. Wayne went to the MoMA and caught another conference session while the girls and I found some fun puppets at the toy store. And the afternoon was cut short, too, by our train schedule. Aderyn threw too many tantrums for us to enjoy anything in the afternoon, anyway. I tried. But we were all tired and so I ended up buying a cookie to share with them instead. Thankfully Aderyn was enamored enough with the train to be well-behaved wandering up and down the aisle for three hours before she crashed (with one ten-minute crying spell). And Paela was tired enough to just sit and watch out the window and then watch a show and then watch out the window again until she passed out too. [I need to mention for our own sakes the guy on the train who stole Paela's seat when we were switching seats. Then when we pointed out his error, he didn't care and just put his things down to take up the whole row. Where was he from? Only from Boston... -Wayne]

And today we rest our weary selves. Aderyn is marathon napping, and Paela is enjoying her favorite toys again. Aderyn was super excited to see her favorite toys this morning before Church -- she ran from toy to book to Star cat and back again, barely stopping ten seconds to play with each one. What a cutie.

And I forgot the camera every. Single. Day. Sorry.